MARYSVILLE, Apr. 7, 2014 -- With hundreds of votes, from RH staff and the public, collected and counted, the Rideout Health Foundation has announced that Pamela Oster, MD and
Mark Agness, MD have been named Rideout Health's Favorite Physician(s) of the Year for 2014.

Mark Agness, MD, Board-certified in both Emergency Medicine and Family Practice, earned his medical degree in 1985 at the Wake Forest University School of Medicine, in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and did his residency at the Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte. He was appointed to the Rideout medical staff in 2005. The Emergency Department staff with whom he works are quick to point out his caring spirit and the way in which he takes the time, amid the fast pace of the emergency department, to listen to each patient and make each feel special. Said one RN, "I feel very lucky and honored that I have had the opportunity to not only work with Dr. Agness for nine years but to call him my friend." Dr. Christopher Bradburn, medical director of the ED, says "Dr. Agness has an encyclopedic knowledge of medicine and he is equally beloved by his peers, patients and staff for his kind and gentle demeanor. He has many exceptional qualities, but one of the traits with which I am most impressed with is his steadfast and unwavering sense of ethics, fairness, and kindness to all."

Pamela Oster, MD completed her medical training at John Hopkins University School of Medicine, her residency in Internal Medicine at Virginia Mason Medical Center and her Hematology/ Oncology Fellowship at UC Davis. Board-certified in Internal Medicine and Medical Oncology, she came to the Rideout Cancer Center in 2007. She has been honored by the Geweke Caring for Women Foundation for helping women with Breast Cancer, and has been a recipient of the Foundation's patient-nominated Guardian Angel Award. Said one patient, "she deeply cares about what she does, and about her patients." Said a colleague, "she supports our patients, in the clinic, infusion bay, hospital, and attends activities they are involved in to raise money and bring cancer awareness to the community."

"These two physicians embody the Spirit of Excellence, respected by their colleagues and loved by their patients," said Dr. Istikram Qaderi, Senior VP, Quality and Chief Medical Officer for Rideout Health.

The Rideout Health Foundation has sponsored the "Favorite Physician of the Year" program since 2010, inviting staff and the public at large to nominate and vote for the doctors they consider extra special, delivering exceptional care in an exceptional manner. Carol Ramirez, VP of the Foundation, said, "We are proud to have Drs. Agness and Oster on our medical staff and to be able to honor them as 'Favorite Physicians' for 2014."

About Rideout Health

Rideout Health is the independent, non-profit, community-based healthcare organization that operates Rideout Memorial Hospital, Fremont Medical Center, Rideout Cancer Center and other medical facilities around the Yuba-Sutter region. It also is the area's largest non-government employer. In fulfillment of its mission to provide quality healthcare to everyone, regardless of financial circumstance, in 2012 the organization provided nearly $50 million in unreimbursed or free medical care to uninsured or under-insured patients.
www.RideoutHealth.org